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Then the Minnesota Wild rallied from four one-goal deficits in Denver before scoring in overtime. And the Sharks, well, we know what happened there.

So it is on to the conference semifinals, always an interesting round where sweeps and teams recording short series have been the norm of late. I see that trend continuing in at least a couple series:

Canadiens-Bruins: I have to laugh at the talk of how this could be a blood bath because of the hated rivalry that’s existed through the years. If the Canadiens think they’re going to oust the Bruins by beating them up, guess again. In fact, I’m sure that won’t be the Habs’ tact in this series. Montreal is very similar to Boston’s first-round opponent — Detroit — just healthier, more skilled throughout the lineup and better in goal with Carey Price. Led by goalie Tuukka Rask, the Bruins are still prohibitive favorites. While Montreal swept Tampa Bay in Round 1, I see the skate on the other foot in this series. It’s not a sweep, but the B’s will lose only once to win another series in five.

Rangers-Penguins: New York squeaked by Philadelphia in a seven-game series everyone saw coming. The Rangers did it without their top-liners really lighting it up, Rick Nash (no goals, four points) in particular. That will have to change against Pittsburgh, a team that needed six games to eliminate Columbus. The Penguins are deeper in this match-up. New York has an edge in goal with Henrik Lundqvist over Pittsburgh’s unpredictable Marc-Andre Fleury. But Pens advance in six.

Wild-Blackhawks: Chicago gets a jump start in a series that starts on Friday, 48 hours after Minnesota won an emotional Game 7 on the road. It’s a rematch of last year’s first round when the Blackhawks won in five. Chicago not only got Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane back in time for a Round 1 win over St. Louis — winning four straight after dropping the first two — but its stars appeared to get better with each passing game. That’s bad news for the Wild, who are resilient, but don’t figure to be as deep as the defending Cup champs. There has to be concern in the Minnesota goal, too, since Darcy Kuemper got hurt late in Game 7. Chicago wins what could be a high-scoring series, and the Hawks get it done in five.

Kings-Ducks: This is the one everyone was waiting for, especially in Southern California where Anaheim and Los Angeles have never met in the postseason. The Kings have until Saturday to rest, recuperate and re-group from their historic rally from an 0-3 deficit against San Jose. Anaheim had no easy time with Dallas, but at least the Ducks are more rested. Jonathan Quick is back on top of his game for the Kings. He’s the best money goalie at this time of the year. The Kings have a decided advantage in goal over the Ducks just as they did against the Sharks. It’s two big, physical, hard-nosed teams matching up in a series that many will say goes the distance, but I see it ending in a Game 6 overtime in favor of the Kings.